This weekend's action release, "The Last Stand," will see Arnold Schwarzenegger return to a leading man role - the type of gig the 65-year-old actor hasn't held in years.

But his time away from Hollywood has actually helped him improve, Schwarzenegger told CNN at "The Last Stand's" premiere in Los Angeles on Monday.

"I got older. I got wiser. I experienced certain things as governor [of California] that helped me with my performance," Schwarzenegger said. "I think I'm better today than when I left the acting field. I think the movie turned out really terrific and I was very fortunate to work with a director that is really good at pulling performances out of actors. I loved working with Kim Jee-woon.”

We should also see Schwarzenegger back in one of his old costumes as Conan the Barbarian before long - it was reported last fall that he was set to return in what's being pegged as a "continuation" of the first 1982 film.

"I think Universal Studios has bought out the rights. They're seriously going to put it back on track," Schwarzenegger said. "I fought for that for years for them to be serious about it and make it an 'A' movie, not just a movie where people get hacked up and all this, but a great story with a great director. And they are now serious about it and so I'm looking forward to the script being finished so we can prep the movie and start shooting."